


The Pain Under Your Success

by Chicachi_the_Chicachu



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fake Pokemon, Family Secrets, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Masaru | Victor and Yuuri | Gloria are Twins, Rituals, Self-Harm, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:41:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23322613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chicachi_the_Chicachu/pseuds/Chicachi_the_Chicachu
Summary: Leon is very successful thanks to his strange ability to never lose any battle. Every table could be turned against him and he'd still win. To the world it looked like pure skill, but to his family, especially Hop, it just looked like the result of a cruel promise to a cruel Pokémon. If only Leon knew what his family was doing to his own baby brother to make him so successful. (ABANDONED)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

Hop groaned loudly when he heard his phone alarm go off. With great effort, he turned over, reached for the device, and muted the alarm. He sighed when he saw the time: twelve O'clock sharp.

He shouldn't be surprised. He had been sleeping in later and later these past weeks, hence the alarm, but he was still disappointed in himself.

He shook his head. It was best not to dwell on that right now. Besides, he could see a tiny message icon on the top of the screen.

He opened the message. When he read the name 'Gloria', he grinned.

"Hey, wanna come over? Victor bought a new game and we HAVE to try it!"

He chuckled weakly, wiping his tired eyes. He sat up, stretched, yawned, then clicked away on his phone.

"I'll ask."

With that, he draped his legs over the side of the bed, bracing himself. After a deep breath, he stood onto his feet.

He groaned loudly at the dull yet sharp pain all throughout his legs. He waited impatiently for his body to ease the pain before trudging out of his room.

He halted at the stairs, knowing full well this wasn't going to be easy, but he would tough it out; he had to.

He gripped the wooden railing, sighed, then stepped down. His legs burned with white-hot needles as he ever so slowly stepped down the stairs.

He vaguely heard the soft clanging of a plate against a counter. He grunted, determined to make it to the bottom. The sound of footsteps coming his way forced his begging legs to quit. He held himself up by the railing, his knuckles white with the effort to support his weight.

His Mum peared around the corner of the stairway. She sighed, smiling amusingly. "Need help, hun?" She questioned.

Hop pouted. "Maybe..." He grumbled. He always felt bad for taking up her time.

Mum made her way up the stairs, held out a hand, and helped her son the rest of the way down. She continued to assist him all the way to the living room couch.

Hop, a bitter taste in his mouth from having to be helped, plopped onto the couch. He carefully pulled his legs up to lay them flat. He sighed as the limbs got a chance to rest.

"I'm making lunch now." Mum said.

Hop glanced up at her. "Aw man, really? I was hoping for some pancakes!" He chuckled.

Mum rolled her eyes. "Should have thought of that before you woke up at noon."

"Aw, come on, Mum!" Hop exclaimed. "I've been pants with sleep lately. Been tossing and turning!"

Mum put a hand to her hip, a small frown on her face. "You alright? Having bad dreams?" She asked tentatively.

Hop hesitated, but he shook his head. "No, just tossy-turny." He smiled reassuringly up at her.

Mum opened her mouth to prod more, but the stove alarm interrupted her. "Oh!" She turned towards the kitchen. "I need to stir the curry!" Without another word, she jogged around the corner to the kitchen.

The second she rounded that corner, Hop plopped his head against the arm rest. He hummed lazily.

His legs had numbed out, but he still felt pained. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He hated hiding his true turmoil from his Mum, but it was for her own good.

She already knew why his legs hurt, so why worry her with his petty emotions? He had to get over himself. It was for Mum.

Besides, it was clear she was playing dumb too. She knew full well why he wasn't sleeping good. She desperately wanted a sense of normalcy in her family.

Hop sat back up when he heard Mum's footsteps, slapping on a smile. She held a plate with Sweet Apple Curry on it, and he took it graciously. He took a few bites, savoring the supple flavor.

A memory returned to his head, and he gulped down what was left in his mouth.

"Thanks Mum." He said first. "By the way, are we busy today?"

Mum raised an eyebrow. "Not that I can think of. Why, dear?"

Hop paused. "Gloria invited me to her and Victor's. May I go?"

Mum thought for a moment. She eyed his legs, then chest, then eyes. "You sure you want to? After all, you lot tend to get rowdy. I dont want you getting hurt." She cleared her throat. "More than necessary." She added with a bittered tone.

Hop ignored the awkward quote and grinned. "We're just going to play a new video game Victor bought. No roughhousing required!" He chuckled.

Mum looked unconvinced, but she sighed. "Very well. Are you spending the night?"

"Most likely."

"Then... I'll grab your things."

With that, Mum walked up the stairs. Her eyes looked stern in thought before being obstructed.

Hop knew the gesture was to give his legs a break, but he also knew another reason. He shivered, pushing the thought away. He lazily ate his curry as he waited for his Mum to return with his duffle bag.

After a few minutes and a plateful of curry later, he turned his head to see Mum return with a bag on her shoulder. She placed it down next to him.

"I got you some spare clothes, your phone and charger, Wooloo's pokeball, and-" She pat a small pocket hidden away in the strap. She inhaled slowly. "Just, don't forget."

Hop felt his energy drain as he realized. HE would have to do it today. It wasn't his first time he had to do it on his own, but he hated everything about it: being alone only amplified that.

He nodded slowly, raising his plate to her. She swallowed, and she took the empty plate.

"Feel free to leave whenever. Just let me know. Would you like me to help you walk over there?" She asked softly.

Hop shook his head. "I'll rest for a bit so I can walk. Besides, they're just across the road!" He forced a giggle.

Mum nodded, and she strode to the kitchen to clean the dishes.

Hop lied on the couch, slowly feeling his legs itch with recovery. He ignored the urge to scratch his wounds by turning on the TV. He aimlessly swiped through channels. He pouted when nothing good was on, so he settled for a cartoon he could watch to pass the time.

After a few hours, he decided to test his legs. He sat up, took a deep breath, and kicked up to stand. He sighed when his legs, although sore, didn't sear with pain like before. It was good enough to go to Victor and Gloria's. 

He shot Gloria a quick "leaving" message before projecting his voice. "Mum, I'm going to Victor and Gloria's! See ya tomorrow!" He called.

He smiled when his Mum responded from the other room. "Have fun!"

Goodbyes aside, he opened the front door, adjusted the bag on his shoulder, and began his walk to the neighbor's.

After crossing the street and walking up the path a ways, he arrived at the quaint little house by the Slumbering Weald. He nudged past some Wooloos, resisting the urge to pet them, and knocked the door. It only took a few seconds for it to open.

"Oi! Took ya long enough! Victor's already to the third boss. There's only six by the way!" Gloria exclaimed, practically yanking Hop inside.

Hop grunted as his legs struggled to catch himself from the yank. He shook his head and laughed. "Darn, I always miss the blunt of it all." He fake pouted.

He followed the girl to the couch, where her brother was intensely fighting a fictional creature on the telly.

"Hey, Hop. Can't talk, mate! This boss is really kicking my butt!" Victor laughed, attempting a special move before failing and taking a big hit. "I'm so rubbish!" He yelled, smacking the controller down as his character died.

Gloria pushed her way between them, picking up the controller before plopping down. "Yeah you are, let the REAL gamer try!"

After several hours of yelling at the TV over silly mistakes, hard bosses, and random glitches, Hop perked when he heard his phone go off in his bag. He got off the couch and crouched down to it. He lifted the device, unlocked it, and felt his throat constrict as he read a message from Mum.

"Don't forget."

He had forgotten what he was supposed to do amidst the chaos of the game. He shook his head, and faked a smile up at the siblings on the couch.

"I'll be back, gotta use the bathroom." He announced.

Victor grinned. "Okay, mate." He said, returning his gaze to the telly. Gloria simply nodded as she button mashed her way through a rival battle.

Hop, while his friends were distracted, opened the sleeve pocket, carefully grabbed its contents, and made his way to the bathroom.

He closed the door and locked it behind him. His hand held on the doorknob for a moment, his heart thudding in his chest. He shakily brought his hand to it, feeling a large, rough bump under his shirt. Grazing his fingers over it caused it to itch.

He sighed shakily, sitting on the cold, tiled floor. He finally dropped the contents in his hands down before him.

A tissue with cleaning alcohol pads; a small note with instructions he already memorized; a roll of bandages; and, most disturbing of all, a razor blade were splayed out before him.

He absently traced his finger over the side of the blade, feeling the smooth, metal surface. Where was he going to cut today? He already did his legs yesterday, so they were out of the question. He was at a friend's, so his arms would be too difficult to hide. His best bet, that he could reach, was his stomach. He shivered at the thought alone.

Out of the back of his mind, he considered just not doing it, but he quickly quelled it.

He HAD to do it. If he wouldn't, then Mum would have to, and he couldn't subject her to this. What kind of person would he be to subject his own mother to torture? But most important of all, this was for Leon.

Leon had a challenger tomorrow, and he needed to win. It wasn't a question. He is at the height of popularity; he was living his dream life in Wyndon. He couldn't afford a loss. What type of brother would Hop be if he was selfish enough to let his big brother fail?

He had to do this: for Lee.

Hop pinched his brow in determination as he took his shirt off. He looked down at his torso, heart pumping. His stomach had faded scratches, prime for a new coat. His chest, however, was far from it, but that was intentional.

Three spike shapes that vaguely resembled a crown were carved into his chest, brown and crusty from dried blood and scabbing. He could feel the carving itch with the effort to heal itself, and if took everything he had not to scratch it. He shook his head to ignore the urge as he unlocked his phone.

He set an alarm, a silent one as to not worry his friends, for five minutes. He filled his lungs with air before hitting the "start" button.

Without hesitation, he finally dug his nails into the scab, tearing it off. The relief followed by searing pain forced him to spit out the air, almost creating a sound. He scratched at the carving until every bit of scab was peeled off. Blood began to ooze from the open wound.

He gasped for air as pain raked his chest. This was the easy part: at least he got the relief of scratching an itch before his body registered the pain. He only spared a few seconds to breathe before he bent down stiffly to grab the blade.

He held the sharp metal to his belly. When he felt the cold blade poke him, he shivered. Before he could overthink it, he quickly dug the blade into his skin.

He choked a cry as fresh pain attacked him. He forced his hand to move, lengthening the cut before removing it. Once the adrenaline subsided for the splittest of a second, tears welled in his eyes, blurring his vision.

It was hard to keep quiet. He wanted so desperately to sob as he continued to mutilate his stomach, but he shut his throat. He couldn't let Victor or Gloria hear. The only one who could ever know was Mum. Even Leon was left in the dark as to what was happening to his own brother.

Hop blinked tears out of his eyes as a way to cope with his lack of freedom to scream. The more he cut his flesh, the harder the tears came on. His body was screaming for him to stop, to put everything away and rest until every puncture healed, but he couldn't. He wished he had a choice, but there was none.

He warily brought his misty eyes to his phone. He grinned despite the agonizing feeling throughout his body. Just fifteen more seconds. He had gotten good at predicting the time.

He finished his last cut, placed the blade down, and lied down. He ignored the cold of the tile floor against his back. He panted, not out of relief, but in fear. He always hated this part.

The timer hit zero, and he shut his eyes tight.

The room grew freezing immediately, forcing him to shiver violently. At the action, blood poured from his many scratches. He cringed as warm blood trinkled down his sides, tickling him.

He then heard a scraping noise, like claws on tile, and he froze.

It was it: the Pokémon.

Hop had never seen it, as that was part of the ritual, but he feared it tremendously. The sound of its claws clinking against the floor as it approached him forced a whimper out of him.

The blood that oozed from his cuts suddenly lifted off of him by an invisible source. He knew that the Pokémon was drinking it, lifting it off his body and siphoning it into its mouth. The idea always made Hop gag.

Once he felt every drop of blood lift off of him, he relaxed. His body had scabbed off the cuts rather quickly.

The room returned to a normal temperature, and he opened his eyes. When the bright lights of the bathroom blinded him, he squinted.

It was done. The Pokémon had left. 

He sat up, groaning at the dull pain in his torso. With a final sigh, he swiftly wrapped up his belly with bandages and cleaned off the razor with tissues.

He cleaned as fast as possible. He had been in the bathroom for quite the bit, and he didn't want his friends to suspect anything.

He stood, wincing as his muscles worked in his legs and stomach, and exited the room.

"Ay! Come try this level! Gloria and I keep flubbing it." Victor chimed.

Hop grinned and took the controller. He hid his pain from merely sitting on the couch.

Good, they didn't question.


	2. Chapter 2

Leon held his breath as his Charizard stomped onto the ground, a miniature earthquake shaking the ground. A massive cloud of dust and dirt kicked up into the air, and the sky darkened into a deep red. Red clouds circled the Pokémon's head as he roared in excitement for his gigantamaxed form.

Leon smirked as the stadium erupted into cheers and chants. The deafening sounds were normal for him, but it shook up his challenger.

The kid across the way regained their footing and looked up at their dynamaxed Ribombee, who looked rather weak from their efforts on the last Pokémon.

Leon felt confident in his win. The kid only had the Ribombee left, while he had three more pokeballs hooked on his belt. While they put up a decent fight, Leon was just too good as the unbeatable champion. He smiled ever wider, gripped his crown patterned snap back, closed his eyes, and yelled for the finishing blow.

Behind his eyelids, he could see a light. It wasn't the light of his Charizard's flames. He could tell. It was a pale blue, and it hovered, or flew, in front of him.

He extended an arm and felt a weight on it. He chuckled. Its soft paws and glowing figure were angelic. He jerked the limb, allowing the creature to float, or fly, on its own.

The Pokémon had come to visit him!

Leon was utterly clueless on what this Pokémon was. He presumed it was a rare, mythical Pokémon who follows strong trainers around for good luck. After all, he had only felt its presence after his semifinals fight when he was ten, right before he became champion. He was scared by it at first, especially since it refused to be seen, but once he realized it was peaceful, he embraced it. It must be shy.

Leon wished he could see it just once. He had tried hundreds of times, but it would always disappear. The closest thing he had was the glowing dot behind his eyelids.

He quickly bid it farewell before squinting his eyes open. He saw the giant Ribombee retract into its pokeball, defeated at last. The kid held the ball in their hand, crestfallen as the stadium erupted in cheers.

Leon, ignoring the yells of the crowd, walked to his challenger, placing a hand on their shoulder. He grinned warmly down at them.

"Thanks for the great fight! I had a champion time." He said, smacking the kid on the back playfully.

The kid smiled, disappointed but definitely not done with their Pokémon journey.

They walked away together, Leon striking his signature Charizard pose at the stadium's entrance as a farewell.

"You won? How am I not surprised. Congratulations!"

Hop perked at hearing his mum talk on the phone. He had just watched his big brother's match on the telly, and his adrenaline was high.

"Mum, put him on speaker!" He exclaimed, shifting closer to her on the couch.

Mum chuckled as she tapped a button on her phone.

"You're on speaker. Hop's here!" She said.

"Oh? Hey lil bro! Did you watch the match?"

Hop smiled at hearing his brother's voice. "Duh, who do you take me for? I'm your biggest fan after all." He exclaimed, wishing he could ruffle Leon's long hair.

"I don't doubt that." Leon sighed. "That match was a bit troubling. Once I saw that Ribombee I felt a little anxious. They might be small, but they're dragon killers, I swear!" He laughed.

"Yeah right," Hop tisked, "I'm sure your Rhyperior would've handled them if nothing else."

"Not really, I chose Seismitoad this time around."

"What? But Rhyperior is so much cooler!"

"Cool does not equal better. All Pokémon are powerful if given the right trainer."

"Sheesh, I know that. I'm not heartless!"

They laughed, Mum chuckling at seeing her boys get along so well.

"Oh, Mum, I've got good news!" Leon piped up.

"That so? What is it?" Mum asked sweetly.

"I've been talking with Rose, and now that the league season is over, I can come visit you guys in Postwick! I'm not sure for how long, but I'm aiming for a week." Leon explained, his definite smile evident in his tone.

Mum and Hop looked at each other. "That's great! When will you be here?" Mum said, her tone a bit forced.

"If I'm lucky, tomorrow."

Hop gulped, and Mum cupped a hand over his face as comfort. "Wonderful! Please keep us updated on that." She replied swiftly.

"Will do. Oh, sorry, I'm getting another call. Talk to you guys later!"

The call ended abruptly, and Hop melted into the couch. He stared off into space, breathing slow. "How are we gonna hide them?" He whispered, gripping his pants tightly.

Mum rubbed her thumb over his cheek. "I know, hun. It won't be easy, but we can do it. You know that Lee: always living in the moment and not thinking about the future." She cleared her throat. Her attempts at keeping a casual atmosphere was draining. "I'll think about it. It's been a while since he's visited, so I need to plan." She said bitterly, standing randomly and marching to her room, leaving Hop alone on the couch.

He ignored the brattle on the telly. His attention was stuck on his sore body. It was as if he could feel every individual cut and scab throb with anxiety. The feeling made him feel gross.

It has been almost a year since Leon had come down to Postwick. That time, he gave them a proper heads up, allowing his body time to heal. While scars remained, a long-sleeved shirt was all it took for Leon not to notice.

What would he do if he found out?

Hop shook his head. He shouldn't think about that right now, or, more like he REFUSED to.

The thought of his big brother hating him was enough to make him want to cry. As silly as that sounded, it would tear him up, emotionally that is.

He groaned, shifting slightly to distract his body from the pain. He stared at Mum's bedroom door, and he frowned.

Why did he have to be such a burden on her? She had to dedicate and lock up a room in the house for the rituals; she often had to help in torturing Hop if he couldn't handle the pain; and if he was too weak to finish it, then she'd have to hurt herself to appease the Pokémon. Why couldn't he just be stronger? Maybe then she'd feel less stressed.

Tears swelled behind his eyes, and he stifled them bitterly. Now wasn't the time to feel bad about himself. He has to be selfless!

Leon's career and Mum's health depend on him.

He needs to be strong for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That is all I wrote for this chapter, and this whole fic as a matter of fact. I am abandoning this idea. It was fun at first, but the spark quickly died and I knew I'd never come back to it. To whoever wants to expand upon this idea: I will let you, as long as you credit. I don't care where you take the story! I'd be interested in anyone's interpretation.


End file.
